Barrie had his case heard by arbitrator Elizabeth Neumeier Friday morning and has until 48 hours after the completion of the hearing to render her decision. The two sides have until that time to come to a contract resolution, however. If they do prior to the decision, the arbitrator’s decision will not be made public. It’s expected that if Barrie goes the distance he’ll receive somewhere between $4 million and $6 million a season on a two-year deal. Barrie asked for $6 million on a one-year deal, while the Avalanche requested salaries of $4 million and $4.25 million on a two-year deal. Since the Avalanche were the party taken to arbitration, they had the option of selecting a one- or two-year deal. That forced Barrie to come up with a salary figure for the second year of the deal in arbitration, a figure that is not available.

The Avalanche have the option of walking away from the ruling, which would immediately make Barrie an unrestricted free agent, but it would be shocking to see them take that course of action. What is more likely if the Avalanche are not happy with the ruling is they could trade him. There are no limitations on trading a player who has been taken to arbitration and since Barrie does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, the Avalanche would be free to trade him anywhere in the league.

There has been a lot of talk of a potential trade to the Edmonton Oilers, where Barrie would be a very good fit as a puck-moving defenseman who can produce points. The Oilers have talented forwards, but what they’re missing right now is a defenseman who can get the puck to them.

In an exclusive interview Thursday, Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic swept away rumors that young defenseman Tyson Barrie will be traded and discussed a handful of other issues including Nathan MacKinnon’s pending contract extension and next week’s NHL draft in Buffalo....

“I’d like to do a long-term deal with Tyson. If that doesn’t work out, it’s expected he’ll go to arbitration,” Sakic said. “Either way, he’ll be here.”

Barrie was Colorado’s fifth-leading scorer last season with 49 points (13 goals) in 78 games. Among all NHL defensemen, he was 13th in scoring.

MacKinnon, 20, is also a restricted free agent, but coming off his three-year, entry-level contract. Sakic said the No. 1 selection in the 2013 draft will be signed by training camp in September but isn’t sure if it will be a long-term deal with unrestricted free agency at the end of it or a bridge deal taking him to another RFA situation.

Among the Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson's "Short Shifts," after a Hockey World spent selling Milan Lucic and Justin Faulk as "fits" for the Edmonton Oilers:

• The Avs probably look at [Justin] Faulk’s contract and say that’s Tyson Barrie’s comparable, and not a cent more. They have a good point. The restricted free-agent Barrie is probably looking for north of $5 million per, so they’ll trade him.

• [Gary] Unger played 914 straight games in the NHL, second longest consecutive-game streak, but his body was damaged after he finished playing.

“I’ve had both my knees and hips replaced,” said Unger. “Not wear and tear so much. I fell off a motorcycle, with Andy Moog in Penticton. Now they’ve fixed my knees and I’m not bow-legged anymore. Now they’re straight and my whole skating stance is really different.”

• We keep forgetting that the Oilers will almost surely trade Yakupov at the draft, and here’s what was proposed at the trade deadline: Yak to New Jersey for their No. 7 D-man Eric Gelinas. Gelinas was subsequently traded to Colorado for a third-round draft pick. Yak’s a good kid, works hard. Is that all he’s worth?

• Most NHL scouts praise winger Matthew Tkachuk’s underrated passing ability, especially on the power play, as much as his shooting skills. Plus, he was a leader on the London Knights and only 18.

AVALANCHE’S BARRIE SUSPENDED THREE GAMES FOR CHARGING AND INTERFERENCE

NEW YORK (Oct. 17, 2015) – Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie has been suspended for three games, without pay, for charging and interference against Anaheim Ducks defenseman Simon Despres during NHL Game No. 63 in Anaheim on Friday, Oct. 16, the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety announced today.

The incident occurred at 11:30 of the second period.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement and, based on his average annual salary, Barrie will forfeit $41,935.47. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

DENVER – The Colorado Avalanche announced today that the team has signed defenseman Tyson Barrie to a two-year contract through the 2015-16 season.

"Tyson is a big part of the young nucleus of our team," said Avalanche Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations Joe Sakic. "He is a gifted young defenseman who brings a lot of offense. We are pleased to have him under contract and look forward to his contribution this upcoming season.”

Barrie, 23, led all Colorado defensemen with 13 goals this past season, the most by an Avs blueliner since 2006-07 (John-Michael Liles - 14). Barrie finished second among Avalanche defensemen in both points (38) and assists (25) while appearing in 64 games.